“Studies show that…” or “Research has revealed…” 

What teacher hasn’t read these phrases countless times in relation to their profession? Whether it’s in a CPD session or in the wording of education policy, it is much easier to get on board with a new idea if you are confident that there is academic research supporting it.

But be honest: how often do you actually stop to check the studies that are cited in articles or are used to inform decisions about the way you should be teaching your classes?

In the 15 June edition of Tes, Chris Parr interviews Brian Nosek, professor in the department of psychology at the University of Virginia, who believes that an over-reliance on research can be a damaging factor in our classrooms.

“My message would be that no single study is definitive, no matter how big or extensive,” warns Nosek. “Each study is part of an accumulating body of evidence for the phenomenon under investigation.”

Most teachers do understand that no study is universally applicable though, so surely that means that there’s no danger in them using research. After all, most studies are already peer-reviewed and replicated, right?

In fact, Nosek says there is reason for concern even with apparently legitimate studies. According to a 2014 review of papers in 100 renowned peer-reviewed education journals, only 0.13 per cent of the studies cited had been replicated.

Nosek admits that “Failing to reproduce a finding doesn’t mean necessarily that the original finding was wrong. Of course, that is one possibility, but there are multiple factors that lower reproducibility.”

Nevertheless, it remains a real problem that a lot of education research being used by teachers and policymakers may not have been properly put to the test. And even if the research is correct - what use is it if the information can’t be easily applied in the classroom? Too much research is “not written in a way that is accessible for translation into classroom practice”, suggests Nosek.

The solution, he says, is for educators to carefully build their own self-study and research into their practice, and to couple this with experts’ research “with patience and caution”.

“Incorporating self-study is wise, so if a teacher is looking to apply an intervention that research suggests might help in their classroom, how can they build in their own evaluation tools? Can they compare the effect of this particular intervention in one term versus the prior term and see if any change happens?”

Ultimately, Nosek adds, research is still an important tool to help teachers develop their practice: “With research, it’s not as reliable as it could be - but it’s better than any other way to find reliable information about the world.”

To read this article in full, pick up a copy of the 15 June issue of Tes from your local newsagent or subscribe to read online